Summer is on its way- now is the time get prepared to protect those young skins!
Idyllic beaches, wonderful, relaxed afternoons by the pool and lots of summer adventures are just around the corner. I can t wait! But, I also know that the summer sunshine brings rather daunting additional parental responsibilities.
The statistics are frightening.
Excess sun exposure at a young age, significantly increases the risk of skin cancers developing later in life.
80% of a person s sun damage is done in the first 18 years of life.
South Africa has the second highest incidence of skin cancer in the world (we are second only to Australia)
With these facts in mind, I have really struggled in the past to strike the right balance between being a complete kill-joy while protecting my children from excess sun exposure, and yet still protecting them sufficiently. One of my problems turned out to be sunscreen. All too often I was the desperate mom brandishing sunscreen, chasing little ones down the beach, kids and me screaming. I was never sure they had enough sunscreen on, and because sand and sunscreen create a sand-paper effect, my wanting to re-apply frequently was not popular!
For more peaceful summers, I have learnt to rely more on physical barriers (i.e. sunhats and clothing). This way I can actually see the protection, and I don t have to chase the kids with sunscreen as frequently!
Hats that are comfortable and shade face, neck and ears are essential. The right kind of hat can be hard to find, hence the development of MooMoo sunhats- that meet these criteria. MooMoo sunhats adjust to fit, provide excellent sun protection and stay on in windy conditions. To add to their appeal, they are available in a range of fun prints and plains.
Keeping even the nicest hat on the head of a toddler can still admittedly be challenging. Rather than getting into a rather unproductive game of put sunhat on, toddler takes sunhat off , try this strategy. It s the no sunhat, no outside play rule I enforce strictly in summer. Babies as little as 10 months can be taught this rule- as soon as the baby pulls off the sunhat- take baby back inside, saying no hat, no outside play . Put hat back on and let little one out again. After a few repetitions of this, they will get the message and accept the hat.
Arms and shoulders are best protected by long-sleeve swimwear or- rash tops , where water is involved. Rash tops can be found at surf shops. It is also nice to have another long sleeve cotton shirt to pop on once the child is soaked and freezing, or for drier summer adventures, as cotton is cooler than the rash tops. Board shorts provide excellent protection for legs (also available at surf shops), and kids look make very cute mini-surfers in their rash tops and board shorts!
Sunscreen is still a very important weapon, of course- sunlight reflected off water and sand can also burn, so in summer add putting sunscreen on faces and hands/arms into the family s morning routine. On the outing, use it for the tops of hands, feet, and any bits of skin you see are exposed. The CANSA association recommends using sunscreens with a minimum of SPF20. Ditch last season s sunscreens, as sunscreen loses efficacy over time. Spray-on varieties are easier to apply.
To keep the emphasis on fun, while still protecting kids from the sun, being prepared makes all the difference. Now is the time to put all the family s sun gear into a beach bag, ready for your first summer adventure!
The Ideal Summer outing bag lives at the front door and contains:
- A good sunhat for each one in the family
- Long-sleeved rash tops and swimwear
- Long sleeve cotton/linen shirts- for playing in the garden, or after swimwear is wet
- Towels
- Some spray-on sunscreen- (1 bottle kept in your handbag, one in outing bag) for hands, necks, cheeks, and any area that you can see is catching the sun.
By Cam Shackleton
About the author:
Cam Shackleton has a retail clothing background (B.C. or Before Children) and this combined with her most challenging role to date- being mom to Matthew and Sophie- has stood her in good stead for launching MooMoo Kids- an online manufacturer of useful things for babies and toddlers, including MooMoo sunhats, sleeping bags and kiddigrows.
Posted: 10 September 2010
Read other parenting articles |
Get prepared to protect those young skins!